Tell Me A Story: Shriners Hospital for Children

Showing posts with label Shriners Hospital for Children. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

THE WELCOME MAT

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

TELL ME A STORY

http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/

THE WELCOME MAT

Ronald McDonald House near Loyola University Medical Center became our "home away from home" for my daughter, Faith, and I, over the years when Faith had treatments and surgeries at the Shriners Hospital in Chicago.

Shriners at the Ararat Shrine Center in Kansas City, Missouri, sponsored our travel expenses (flights and ground transportation) from Kansas City to Chicago, and all Faith's medical expenses.

We have insurance, but never received a bill for a co-pay from the Shriners Hospitals. Shriners Hospitals treat children regardless of their ability to pay...whether they have insurance or not.

Shriners Hospitals for Children

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/

Our Precious Friend and Nurse at Shriner's Hospital Chicago with Faith. Copyright 2009 Marcia Norwood

Marissa examines Faith at Shriner's Hospital CHICAGO. Copyright 2010 Marcia Norwood

The Welcome Mat

My previous blog, "RIVER BIRCH," contains beautiful photographs and information about Ronald McDonald House near Loyola University Medical Center. The house is decorated like an English manor: something out of the pages of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel, The Secret Garden.

Tell Me A Story: RIVER BIRCH

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/2013/10/river-birch.html

Ronald McDonald House Near Loyola, Chicago

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

https://www.facebook.com/RMHLoyola

Faith and I saw first-hand The Welcome Mat, a breakthrough brand campaign and fundraiser that VALENTI Advertising Design Ideas created for Ronald McDonald House Charities (R), Chicagoland/Northwest Indiana, during one of our stays at RMH Loyola, in 2010.

"The Welcome Mat campaign

has drawn interest from all over the country,

and significantly enhanced the understanding

and impact our charity has

on the community and families we serve."

Doug Porter,

RMHC(R)-CNI Chief Executive Officer:

Welcome mats with messages of LOVE, HOPE, CARE and COMFORT reinforce Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana's commitment to provide families a home away from home while their children are treated at nearby hospitals.

"Our idea was to use a welcome mat as both a core brand icon

as well as a unique and meaningful fundraising tool.

Great branding ideas are simple.

What's important is what you do

to make it relevant, powerful and memorable."

"We offer our clients

a wide range of marketing needs

from identity to business materials,

from print to TV,

from websites to developing online social networks."

Mike Valenti

President and Creative Director

(Chicago-based) VALENTI Advertising Design Ideas

www.valentiadv.com

The mats are 100% natural coconut fiber, and sold for a $50 donation. They were offered for sale at supporting events and online.

Money raised helped build the world's largest Ronald McDonald House in Chicago, which opened in June 2012. It's known as "Skyline Oasis."

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2010/11/01/lets-take-a-look-at-streetervilles-new-ronald-mcdonald-house.php

Faith and I were some of the first visitors to visit a model of a proposed room at the new Skyline Oasis, (RMH on Grand in Chicago), that was built in the attic of the RMHouse in Loyola.

Skyline Oasis opened on June 26, 2012.

Ronald McDonald House

Grand Opening

June 26, 2012

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Ronald-McDonald-House-near-Lurie-Children-s-Volunteer-Newsletter.html?soid=1102808931335&aid=jNm-cj7vVbg#LETTER.BLOCK10

After years of thoughtful space planning, tireless fundraising, and good ol' fashioned hard work, Ronald McDonald House near Lurie Children's opened on a bright and cheerful summer's day this past June (2012) with a week of celebratory opening receptions and Open Houses. Friends of the House gathered across the street for a formal ceremony which including speeches from Governor Pat Quinn, Chicago Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith and his wife MaryAnne, McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner and many others topped off by an uplifting performance from Soul Children of Chicago singing "The Future's Up to Me and You".

Tears of joy, gratefulness and hope were shed as our VP of Operations, Mary Agnes Laguatan, thanked all who made this House possible and reflected on what an amazing gift this House gives to families in medical crisis. Finally, little Max Herrick concluded the ceremony by cutting the ceremonial ribbon along with his good friend, Ronald.

The word "thank you" does not do justice to the humble gratitude RMHC-CNI would like to express to our volunteers, friends and donors who made this day possible. We hope that everyone associated with the building of this beautiful House feels a great sense of pride in knowing that we are able to House 75 families each and every night.

Congratulations to Doug Porter, RMHC(R)-CNI Chief Executive Officer, and the volunteers and leaders of Ronald McDonald House, Chicago, on opening Skyline Oasis, and thank you for each of the RMHouses in the Chicago and Northland Illinois area.

Folks at RMH serve others in a beautiful way - just as their welcome mats say: with love, hope, care, and comfort.

RMH (Loyola) was a sweet refuge for my daughter and I, as we prepared our hearts and minds for her multiple medical challenges.

Guests at RMH are invited to write their stories and comments in journals in each room. These stories encourage and inspire others who stay in their "home away from home" at RMH.

I wrote Faith's story in one of the journals.

I also suggested that RMH (with the guests permission) publish a book or series of books with stories from the RMH journals that are written by guests.

I would be blessed to help with a RHM Book Project: a STORYTELLER GIFT BOOK.....STORIES that ENCOURAGE and INSPIRE...with stories written by guests at Ronald McDonald House.

The world needs to know about the work Ronald McDonald House Charities do to serve families in medical crisis.

God bless you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often, and invite a friend!

Marcia Norwood

America's STORYTELLER

Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Monday, November 25, 2013

2013 JOURNEY TO CHRISTMAS: LETTER TO SANTA

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

2013 JOURNEY TO CHRISTMAS

LETTER TO SANTA

Did you write a Letter to Santa?

Do your children write letters to Santa?

Here's a letter my daughter, Faith,

wrote to Santa in 2011.

Letter to Santa

Christmas 2011

Dear Santa,

Do you remember the Christmas of 1944?

That year a teacher named Donald Yetter Gardner wrote the silly song: “All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth,” after he asked his 2^nd grade class what they wanted for Christmas.

Almost all of his students answered him with a lisp, because they had at least one tooth missing. (My mom, Marcia Norwood, sang the song when she was a kid in the 1950’s.)

I lived in China in an orphanage until I was eight years old. We never celebrated Christmas. I heard the song for the first time in 2002 - my first Christmas in America - when you, Santa, put a little toy mouse in my stocking that was missing one tooth. When I pushed on his tummy he sang: “All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth!”

I asked for more than just my two front teeth my first Christmas. I hoped and dreamed and prayed for a pretty smile. Most of my teeth were in the wrong places because I was born with a cleft lip and palate. It must have been too much for my Chinese birth parents to handle, because I was found at a train station in Benxi City, Liaoning Province, when I was two days old.

Someone took me to an orphanage in northern China, and gave me the name: Fu Ju…which means blessing or great reward after much hard work.

My Forever Family adopted me in October 2002. My American parents kept my Chinese name as my middle name, and also gave me a new American name: Faith. My mom says both names fit me perfectly.

My wish for a pretty smile is almost complete. I had two surgeries in China, more surgeries at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, and multiple surgeries at the Shriners Hospital in Chicago.

The Shriners even helped pay for my braces.

This Christmas 2011 – I’m not asking for something for me.

I’m asking you to bring a new mini-van to the Shriners at Ararat Shrine Center in Kansas City, Missouri. You can drive it right up to their door at 5100 Ararat Drive, Kansas City, Missouri, 64129.

Shriners help many children like me, regardless of their ability to pay, and whether they have insurance or not. They also provide free transportation to children and their families to Shriners Hospitals in the USA.

The Kansas City Center has about 40 Shriners screened to be drivers. They alternate driving one van that was donated by the Warsaw, Missouri Shrine Club. The Warsaw Shriners saved the proceeds from Bingo games to purchase the van for the Kansas City Center. That van is 11 months old and already has 68,000 miles. It makes four or five trips each week to Shriners hospitals in Chicago, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. Sometimes the trips overlap, and they have to rent another van.

Santa, I know you have lots of helpers. Maybe one of them could donate a mini-van…or maybe 25 of your helpers could give $1,000 each…or 50 helpers could donate $500… or 100 helpers could donate $250…or 250 helpers could give $100. Just think how many children and families your donation will help!

I’ve waited for 17 years to have a pretty smile.

Some people stop and stare at me – just like in the lyrics to the song: “Everybody stops and stares at me…These two teeth are gone as you can see…”

My next procedure is a facial reconstruction/jaw realignment surgery at the Shriners Hospital Chicago.

SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN

CHANGING THE WORLD.

CARING FOR KIDS.

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/

I hope that your helpers, Santa, will give the Shriners a Christmas present they will never forget: a new mini-van, so they can help other kids like me.

Merry Christmas!

Faith Fu Ju Norwood, 17 years old

SONG:

All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=all+i+want+for+christmas+is+my+two+front+teeth+song

Lyrics

“All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth”

By Donald Yetter Gardner

Everybody stops
And stares at me
These two teeth are
Gone as you can see.

I don't know just who
To blame for this catastrophe!
But my one wish on Christmas Eve
Is as plain as it can be!

All I want for Christmas
Is my two front teeth,
My two front teeth,
See my two front teeth!

Gee, if I could only
Have my two front teeth,
Then I could wish you
"Merry Christmas."
It seems so long since I could say,
"Sister Susie sitting on a thistle!"

Gosh oh gee, how happy I'd be,
If I could only whistle (thhhh)

All I want for Christmas
Is my two front teeth,
My two front teeth,
See my two front teeth.

Gee, if I could only
Have my two front teeth,
Then I could wish you
"Merry Christmas!"

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often, and invite a friend!

Marcia Norwood

America's STORYTELLER

Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

TELL ME A STORY

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

THE WELCOME MAT

Monday, November 25, 2013

2013 JOURNEY TO CHRISTMAS: LETTER TO SANTA

AMERICA'S STORYTELLER, Marcia Norwood